Bruno Fernandes was Manchester United’s captain and man of the match against Aston Villa this evening, but his magnificent display was not enough to help a sloppy United XI win the match.
Bruno’s two goals on the occasion bring his total goal involvement to 55 since joining United over two years ago.
Only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has had more goal involvements in the same time frame, according to football statistician Opta Joe.
55 – Bruno Fernandes has been directly involved in 55 goals in 70 Premier League appearances for Manchester United (33 goals, 22 assists), with only Mohamed Salah (63) recording more combined goals and assists in the competition since Fernandes' debut (February 2020). Talisman. pic.twitter.com/ovsYf8yKPU
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 15, 2022
Despite the achievement, Bruno had a poor day as his team wasted a two-goal lead that he had helped to establish in a dreadful five-minute span late in the second half.
Villa was granted two great opportunities thanks to Nemanja Matic and Fred’s lack of control in midfield and Raphael Varane’s mistakes while defending.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Bruno Fernandes was not at all happy after the draw as he said:
“I am not happy at all, everyone is happy to score goals, but I prefer to win the game. I prefer to take away my two goals and let someone else score and win the game — today my two goals make no sense because we only got one point and not three.”
This season, the 27-year-old has faced considerable criticism, with some accusing him of being wasteful and squandering possession too frequently.
However, in the Premier League and Champions League, a goal involvement/game ratio of 78 percent is a great feat and, arguably, an omelette worth breaking some eggs for.
Fans appeared to boo his substitution in the game as United chased a winner in the dying minutes, which is a gift for his efficiency.
